Malaysia's position in shared services industry is strong, says Quint

According to independent IT consulting firm Quint Wellington Redwood, Malaysia is in a strong competitive position with the infrastructure and highly skilled workforce to reap benefits from the global shared services and outsourcing sector.

In an exclusive interview with Computerworld Malaysia, Quint Wellington Redwood [Quint Group] Asia regional director Jeffrey Doss said that in the run up to 2020 [the target Malaysia has set itself to become a fully developed knowledge economy], outsourcing was a major global industry opportunity in itself and in one in which the country was strategically well placed.

Doss said that shared Services and Outsourcing (SSO) was also a strategic form of service integration that combined Information and Communication Technology (ICT), finance and accounting, human resources, and engineering design and services.

Analyst firm Gartner has estimated a global SSO market size of US$443 billion (RM1.44 trillion) by 2014, with the industry seeing a compound annual growth rate of 4.4 percent over the last four years, he said.

"Due to an aim to become a high income economy by 2020, Malaysia has been driving the ICT industry through a series of initiatives that has seen the country gain a strong infrastructure base," said Doss. "In this sense, Malaysia has the best resources to accommodate demands of global enterprises today."

"Global outsourcing advisors such as the Quint Group have set up a regional hub to support outsourcing centres in Malaysia, bringing to the country billions of Ringgit in investments and thousands of jobs opportunities," he said.

Dare to challenge

"SSO activities are mostly business processes driven by IT," said Doss, adding that SSO activities have been adopted in banking, financial services & Insurance, ICT, pharmaceutical & health, logistics & transportation, as well as in energy, chemical and resources.

"Most SSO's do not find the holy grail of being cost effective, in fact the opposite is true," he said. "This is mainly because they deal with an IT outsourcing provider who is there to make money. So how does one save money when the other is out there to make money? They need someone in an independent position like Quint."

"There are many times that shared services become slow, ineffective and costly once it has reached a certain point or some from day dot, and that's where we come in. A big part of whom we are also lies in the strength of our experienced people - we 'dare to challenge'," said Doss.

"Quint is not a technology vendor, but an independent consulting solutions provider," he added. "We've very proud of the fact that we're not driven by a particular brand or type of technology. It's the very core of what we do, and that is to bring in the best possible results, and not just sell something on behalf of someone else. And when we look at any of the possible business scenarios, a very important thing to keep in mind is that no matter what, change will be necessary."

"Because we're product or brand agnostic, Quint is in a very unique position," Doss said. We sell a solution that makes your shares serviced operations run well. We have the people, and the skills, to not only impart those benefits to you, but we're also able to 'walk' with you and help you manage change."

Fees linked to results

"Quint is slightly different from your usual SSO provider in this way, and when seen from a top down view, we're led to the conclusion that they are strongly motivated to bring out the best in whomever they work with," he said, adding that Quint was so sure of delivering results that they are willing to base their fees on the results they are help to help businesses produce.

"In today's highly competitive business environment, that's as good an offer as is ever likely going to come," Doss said. "Why use someone for something that may or may not deliver, when you're able to work with a global organisation with a local presence that has the reputation not only to deliver, but also has the motivation to see your IT operations succeed? After all, your success is our success, and Quint is a proven hitter, working with major business such as AIG, Telenor, Shell, Phillips and MetLife."

"Always remember, base what you're looking for on your real needs. If you want to outsource, make sure you do so to your business advantage, not just because you want to sweep a mess under the carpet. Talk to us, we'll fix it, and make it even better," he said, adding that The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals [IAOP] has also recently recognised the Quint Group as the World's Best Outsourcing Advisors for 2014.